Lesson learned?

Did the Brewers learn a valuable lesson last year via the CC Sabathia trade? This year, Milwaukee is not going to deal top prospects like Matt Gamel and Alcides Escobar for high-priced free-agents to be, even if it's badly needed pitching they can acquire in return. Doug Melvin, who giddly said "We're going for it!" last year, has certainly changed his tone regarding a blockbuster deal.

"It's almost impossible. You never say never but it's not my focus at all. Those young players are valuable." After LaPorta was dealt for Sabathia, who led the Brewers to the playoffs for the first time in 26 years, Escobar moved up to the top spot in the organizational prospect rankings by Baseball America magazine, with Gamel at No. 2. As badly as the Brewers need starting pitching help with Dave Bush on the disabled list and Manny Parra in the minors, Melvin said the price would be too high if he included Gamel or Escobar. Gamel has been with the Brewers since May 14 and is batting .244 with two homers and 12 RBI in 32 games.

Middle- to small-market teams like the Brewers who cannot afford a dearth of big contracts need to hang onto their high-end prospects, because in the end, they get nothing. The traded prospect is gone, and so is the player Milwaukee traded for. We ripped Milwaukee for the Sabathia trade last year, saying mortgaging the future wouldn't bring them a title. This time The Brewers wised up.

Lesson learned?

Did the Brewers learn a valuable lesson last year via the CC Sabathia trade? This year, Milwaukee is not going to deal top prospects like Matt Gamel and Alcides Escobar for high-priced free-agents to be, even if it's badly needed pitching they can acquire in return.

"It's almost impossible. You never say never but it's not my focus at all. Those young players are valuable." After LaPorta was dealt for Sabathia, who led the Brewers to the playoffs for the first time in 26 years, Escobar moved up to the top spot in the organizational prospect rankings by Baseball America magazine, with Gamel at No. 2. As badly as the Brewers need starting pitching help with Dave Bush on the disabled list and Manny Parra in the minors, Melvin said the price would be too high if he included Gamel or Escobar. Gamel has been with the Brewers since May 14 and is batting .244 with two homers and 12 RBI in 32 games.

Middle- to small-market teams like the Brewers cannot afford a dearth of big contracts need to hang onto their high-end prospects, because otherwise, they get nothing in the end. The traded prospect is gone, and so is the player Milwaukee traded for. We ripped Milwaukee for the Sabathia trade last year, saying mortgaging the future wouldn't bring them a title. This time The Brewers wised up.

Brewers protecting Hoffman

Trevor Hoffman apparently won't pitch on three straight days, so Todd Coffey and Carlos Villanueva owners may want to take note. Villanueva got the opportunity to close out a game Tuesday night against the Pirates, and he converted the chance cleanly for his third save in six tries. Brewers win, 8-5.

Fantasy Impact: We still like Coffey for the stray saves, but Villanueva is an OK option in very deep pitching leagues. Hoffman is up there in years, so his careful handling by the Brewers can be expected. He's a good No. 2 saves option in most fantasy leagues.

Hoffman throws off mound; closer by committee in Milwaukee?

Trevor Hoffman threw off a mound on Wednesday, experiencing no issues with the oblique injury that sidelined him late in spring training.

"It's good to be back on the slope," Hoffman said. "I didn't throw as many strikes as I would have liked, but I think the key was to come out of it pain-free."

Hoffman will throw off a mound again Saturday in New York. The next step after that is to be determined, according to manager Ken Macha, but Hoffman indicated that he could join the Triple-A Nashville Sounds in Memphis as early as Tuesday to begin a Minor League rehabilitation assignment.

That means Hoffman is at least 10 days away from returning to the big leagues.

Fantasy Impact: The Brewers don't have a great option at closer after Hoffman. They need him back. Manager Ken Macha suggested that a few Brewers relievers might get chances to close games alongside de facto closer Carlos Villanueva, who has struggled in the role. Macha mentioned Todd Coffey, Seth McClung and Mark DiFelice as pitchers throwing better than Villanueva right now.

Gagne released by Milwaukee

So much for Eric Gagne's second reclamation attempt with the Milwaukee Brewers. The team released him on Sunday, ending his chance to become Trevor Hoffman's setup man.

The Brewers released Gagné from his minor-league contract Sunday because he had no chance to make their club in spring training after being sidelined with an ailing shoulder. A recent MRI revealed fraying in both the labrum and rotator cuff.

Gagné, 33, signed a minor-league deal at the outset of camp that guaranteed him a $1.5 million contract if added to the Brewers' roster by March 26. The thinking was that he'd serve in a set-up role for closer Trevor Hoffman if he pitched well enough in camp.

But Gagné never made it to the mound. First he came down with a sore calf, then the shoulder problem. Assistant general manager Gord Ash said Gagné decided to try to avoid surgery with a conservative approach of cortisone injection and physical therapy at a local clinic.

"Rather than have him rehab over on the minor-league side, it'll be better if he's in that environment," Ash said.

Ash said the Brewers would love to have Gagne a part of their bullpen when he gets healthy. Problem is, will he get healthy again this year? My guess is Gagne doesn't play in a single game at the MLB level in 2009. He's too risky a pickup for anyone contending, and he's old enough that youth-minded teams will probably take a pass.

Brewers sign Hoffman

The Brewers sign closer Trevor Hoffman to a one-year $6M deal.

Hoffman's numbers aren't what they were in the early part of his fabled career, but he's averaged over 50 appearances the past five seasons. The 41-year-old struck out 38 batters in 45.1 IP in 2008, and while he saved just 30 games, that total should go up on a winning team.

Fantasy Impact: Hoffman's getting up there in age, and he's not nearly as dominant as he once was. He's still Trevor Hoffman, however, and he's better than any option the Brewers had last year. Expect Hoffman to save over 30 games, but back him up with another able-bodied closer.

Brewers closing in on closers

The ongoing saga that is the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen continues to twist in the wind. Rumors of Trevor Hoffman blowing in from San Diego were one thing. Now, from the East, like a cold Nor'easter comes injury-ravanged Chad Cordero into the conversation.

The Brewers have been tracking his rehabilitation since the Washington Nationals nontendered Cordero last month, and have already seen him throw at least once.

The Brewers have been linked to Cordero before, once rejecting a trade offer that would have sent Cordero to Milwaukee for second baseman Rickie Weeks during the 2007 Winter Meetings. That was at the height of his run as the Nationals' closer, a four-year period from 2003-07 in which Cordero notched 127 saves. Along the way, before his 26th birthday, he became the second-youngest player in Major League history to reach the 100-save plateau (Francisco Rodriguez owns that title, recording his 100th save as a 25-year-old).

I understand the attraction, but hasn't Milwaukee learned about shaky closers from their 2008 mess at the back of the bullpen? Eric Gagne and company proved more to be stooges than musketeers or even amigos. Now Brewers candidates Hoffman (aging) and Cordero (injured) offer them little in terms of probable stability at a position that demands it. Good luck!

You can't knock the Macha move, or can you?

Cubs fans can breathe a sigh of relief; Ken Macha was named Brewers manager. Bob Brenly, Cubs color analyst, was up for the job, but Bob Melvin and company went with the former A's skipper instead.

"One of the things I'm going to enjoy here I think is the relationship with Doug," said Macha, who spent the last two years as a television analyst. "He's been very honest with me, straightforward. He's more of a delegator. He's going to let me go out and do my job as a manager and I'm going to be very grateful for that."

That's a far cry from Oakland, where Macha took the A's to a pair of AL West titles but had an odd relationship with general manager Billy Beane and lost his job after the 2005 season for a week only to return in 2006.
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Macha also tried to dispel the notion that he'd lost touch with his players in Oakland, including Jason Kendall, now the Brewers catcher.

"I've got a couple things to say about that. No. 1, the job of the manager is really not to be buddies with all the players. You have to make very difficult decisions over the course of the year," he said. "Sometimes players get a little personal and think it's personal. It really isn't."

Sounds like an imperfect match for a team that nearly imploded on itself for a second straight season, but to his credit Macha built a pretty impressive resume in Oakland with a 368-260 record. Still, Oakland got swept out of the 2006 ALCS by Detroit, and Brenly has a World Series under his belt. That, and a very deep knowledge of the team Milwaukee chased all season long.

Jeffress dead arm

Brewers top pick of 2006 Jeremy Jeffress is experiencing shoulder fatigue. The 21-year-old is know to touch 100 mph on the radar gun, but those numbers have been slipping.

I guess this means he would've fit right into the Brewers achy staff of Ben Sheets, Eric Gagne, David Riske, et al, but shoulder fatigue is not uncommon for a relatively young player who threw the most innings (94) of his career. They'll probably shut him down for a while and see if it just needs rest.

CC you in Milwaukee?

The Brewers will go after CC Sabathia this offseason, contrary to many reports saying they had no chance to sign the free agent pitcher. Money is not the only motivating factor for Sabathia, and he seemed to enjoy playing in Milwaukee.

Brewers stale on Dale

Baseball Musings makes a good point that Dale Sveum as manager of the Brewers makes more sense than Jerry Manuel as manager of the Mets. Sveum will not be considered to lead the Brewers next year while Manuel kept his job after New York failed to make the playoffs.

The Sveum firing, however, makes me wonder if the Brewers were not impressed with the postseason fallout. He only has about of month of managerial experience, and if Milwaukee still thinks it is close to competing for a World Series, it probably wants a manager with a long postseason resume.

Manuel, at least, is a known quality to the Mets, as he led the Chicago White Sox to an A.L. Central crown in 2000.